pow

Make the TwinTop a Velite?

The 3.6 DI is only $1000 more once you factor in its standard automatic transmission. Plus you can get equipment not available on base 3.6s. Not sure why more don't order it...

Side airbags aren't necessary for the NHTSA side test because they don't measure/account for head injuries. The IIHS side test is much tougher (higher barrier, heavier, faster, more advanced dummies, accounts for structural performance).

By compact, I mean like "compact-quality" or "compact-grade," not external size.

Any word on width? The current Epsilons are too narrow for upper-midsize duty. Spy pics look promising. It's very ES350-like, but probably better.

Tucson is crap, but the RAV4 is probably the best or second-best small SUV out there. It's not as refined or posh as the VUE, but it's more spacious, much quicker, and much more fuel efficient.

Sadly of my three grandparents, eight aunts and uncles, and nineteen cousins, there are only two domestics: my aunt's '95 Safari, which she rarely drives, and my cousin's red '04 Mustang V6. My mom's side is exclusively Asian (Toyota, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Infiniti, Acura), while my dad's side was primarily European (Volvo, Mercedes, BMW, VW), but increasingly Asian (Honda, Lexus, Infiniti). Hopefully I'll be the third, with an '08 ASTRA XR 5-door.

Used 9-3 cabrio? Beetle cabrio?? Tell her the Solara convertible is a chop job.

It's still headline news on NPR.org and MSNBC.com..

Uh oh, here comes thegriffon...

NPR is actually a lot nicer on GM than most of the mainstream media. I've been listening to what they reported on the UAW strike, and it's generally been neutral and occasionally pro-GM. They took a lot of time to explain the importance of GM for the economy and the competitive disadvantages they face, as opposed to the generic "shutting down plants of large SUVs and trucks" I saw on the Big 3 evening news.

You drove the Aztek instead of the 500 today. I'm sorry...

Nav, BT, rear center armrest, etc, aren't options and aren't available of *any* models, not just LS...

... if you drive 20K miles/yr. Honda's powertrain warranty is the same in duration.

There's one coming with an updated Insight powertrain.

Especially with this new Fit, in interior room, performance, technology, safety, features, and price, it's a compact (i.e. Cobalt), while in exterior length/maneuverability and fuel economy, it's a subcompact (i.e. Aveo). Really the best of both worlds.

It would be awesome if Hillary or whoever rode to the inauguration in an Escalade ESV Hybrid...

We're (officially) only getting the 2nd generation 2007 version, which everyone gets and it's longer than this 1st gen.

What about the Vibe? I know NUMMI is a UAW plant, but their workers there seem quite content...

I occasionally hear Chevy as a sponsor on NPR. It used to be about flex-fuel cars; now it's "offering 8 models that get 30 highway MPG or more." Too bad for 2008 there will only be 4 (5 if you consider Aveo and Aveo5 as two different models, as they currently do).

Toyota (and the Sleep Number mattress by Select Comfort) have been PHC sponsors for a while now... He also does great voice-overs for Honda UK ads: Impossible Dream - The Cog - Hate Something, Change Something - Choir -

I checked out the VUE a few weeks ago too, and was also pleasantly surprised. Its interior is so-much-better than the AURA's. Everything from the materials to build quality was nicer. The turn signals, window switches, steering wheel, and door grab handles were all top notch. My only beefs were with front seat thigh support (the seat itself looks great, though), generic black-tie radio, and generic Daewoo gear gate/lever.

Surprising in a bad way... '08 RAV4 V6 AWD (269 hp) - 19/26 '08 Equinox Sport AWD (263 hp) - 16/24 '08 Enclave AWD (275 hp) - 16/22 '08 XE AWD (222 hp) - 15/22 '08 XR AWD (257 hp) - 16/22

What a crappy cheesy website. I'm sick of all the CGI replacing proper photos. It makes the interior look fake and uninviting. How about some actual pictures of the UltraLux suede on 2LTs?

Hideous. The wood is as nasty as the LaCrosse's, but there's a lot more of it. Very '90s.